Daniel Harper
Daniel is a finance writer covering personal finance topics including budgeting, credit, and beginner investing. He began his career contributing to his Substack, where he covered consumer finance trends and practical money topics for everyday readers. Since then, he has written for a range of personal finance blogs and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, straightforward content that helps readers make more informed financial decisions.
Latest Articles by Daniel Harper
Heirs can now inherit up to about $15 million tax-free after the estate-tax exemption was made permanent
Families with estates worth up to $15 million can now pass that wealth to heirs without owing a dollar in federal estate tax, after Congress...
Buyers of new U.S.-built cars can deduct up to $10,000 of auto-loan interest a year, even without itemizing
Millions of Americans who finance a new vehicle assembled in the United States can now subtract up to $10,000 in auto-loan interest from their taxable...
Money in a flexible spending account is use-it-or-lose-it by year’s end in most plans
Employees who set aside pretax dollars in a health flexible spending account face a familiar year-end problem: any money left unspent after December 31 disappears....
Workers 50 and up earning over $150,000 must now make 401(k) catch-up contributions as after-tax Roth money
Starting in 2026, Americans age 50 and older who earned more than $150,000 in prior-year FICA wages from their plan sponsor will no longer have...
A Wisconsin woman lost more than $400,000 in retirement savings after scammers posing as her investment company told her to buy gold
A Wisconsin woman watched more than $400,000 in retirement savings vanish after scammers impersonating her investment company convinced her to liquidate her accounts and convert...
$9.25 a month comes off phone or internet bills for SNAP and Medicaid households
Households enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid can subtract $9.25 from their monthly phone or internet bill through the federal Lifeline program, a benefit that has...
Social Security is phasing out paper checks this year, moving remaining recipients to direct deposit or a prepaid card
Social Security beneficiaries who still receive paper checks are running out of time. Executive Order 14247 directed the Treasury Department to stop issuing paper checks...
Cash App is mailing settlement checks automatically after a $175 million order, with nothing to sign up for
Millions of Cash App users who reported unauthorized transactions or account fraud are starting to see paper checks arrive in their mailboxes this year, tied...
Medicare will cap out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100
Medicare’s annual cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug spending is set to rise to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026, according to figures compiled...
Illinois raised its senior property-tax freeze income limit to $75,000 for 2026
Illinois has widened eligibility for one of its longest-running property tax relief programs for older homeowners. Starting with the 2026 tax year, the income ceiling...
Seniors earning under $23,475 can cut their Medicare drug copays to about $5 through the Extra Help program
Prescription drug costs remain one of the biggest strains on a fixed retirement income, and a federal program built specifically for lower-income Medicare enrollees is...
About 54,000 combat-injured veterans could finally collect both retirement and disability pay, roughly $1,200 more a month
A long-running gap in military retirement law is edging closer to closing. For decades, a group of combat-wounded veterans has had their military retired pay...
More hospital systems are dropping UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage for 2027, including Minnesota’s Fairview Health
A growing list of hospital systems is walking away from UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage network, and the latest to join is Fairview Health Services, one of...
A free federal database holds unclaimed pensions for about 80,000 workers, some worth up to $7,789.77 a month
A federal agency is sitting on retirement money that roughly 80,000 people have never picked up, and there is no cost to check whether any...
Original Medicare covers no routine dental, vision or hearing, a gap that surprises many the year they retire
Many people spend their working years assuming that once Medicare begins, their major health needs are handled. Then the first dental bill arrives, or a...
Iowa now lets insurers freeze suspicious transactions to stop elder fraud, after halting $2.59 million last year
Iowa has given its insurers and financial firms a new power aimed squarely at protecting older residents from fraud. Under a law that took effect...